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 116 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: hand · lean · spring · current · ground · safe · clip · press

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ground — a position
  4. clip — a video
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spring — of water
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hand — help
  18. current — electric
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — the earth
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lean — to rest against

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