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: press · stock · hand · suit · trunk · degree · snap · clip

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — to push
  4. stock — goods
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. clip — a video
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stock — shares
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — a publisher
  18. hand — in cards
  19. snap — to click
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. degree — an amount
  24. press — newspapers

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