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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. degree — an amount
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — a grade
  13. press — to push
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. press — newspapers
  24. net — in sport

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