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: cell · rash · leaves · press · clip · track · content · stem

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. press — a publisher
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. rash — a series
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. press — to push
  12. cell — in biology
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — newspapers
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — to come from
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. content — the amount
  23. clip — for paper
  24. leaves — to go away

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