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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — magic
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — to push
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. object — a thing
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — letters
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — newspapers
  18. rash — a series
  19. object — an aim
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — of law
  23. clip — for paper
  24. press — a publisher

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