ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. press — to push
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — all right
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. clip — a video
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — the fruit
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — from crying
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com