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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. present — there
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. clip — to cut
  8. press — to push
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rush — hurry
  11. clip — a video
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. press — a publisher
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — for paper
  18. degree — temperature
  19. present — a gift
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — newspapers
  22. present — the time now
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rush — a thrill

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