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: lean · clip · file · race · temple · press · ground · land

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. clip — a video
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lean — thin
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. press — a publisher
  14. race — humankind
  15. file — a line of people
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. race — a contest
  22. ground — a position
  23. race — the arms race
  24. file — a document

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