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: club · pit · saw · shower · clip · wound · coach · press

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for golf
  4. clip — to cut
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pit — a hole
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — a group
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — rain
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — an injury

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