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 116 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: hide · club · last · press · current · clip · fall · scale

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — a video
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. club — for golf
  12. fall — the season
  13. current — electric
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. last — final
  19. club — for dancing
  20. press — newspapers
  21. scale — in music
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. club — a group

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