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 120 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 · press · tube · bat · chip · squash · present · nail

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. chip — to eat
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — a gift
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — the sport
  10. clip — to cut
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. present — the time now
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. present — there
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — for a hammer

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