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: scale · wax · content · wind · press · charge · snap · clip

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — a publisher
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. press — newspapers
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. clip — to cut
  10. scale — in music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wax — to grow
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — to push
  24. content — the amount

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