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

Word bank: clip · date · bat · ball · tube · jam · press · stock

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ball — a great time
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. clip — a video
  10. stock — goods
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — a container
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. press — to push
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. tube — the underground

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