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: bear · press · rush · spring · last · race · clip · sharp

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. last — to go on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — a contest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bear — the animal
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — a video
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — for paper
  24. race — humankind

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