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

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. press — a publisher
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. degree — an amount
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — a country
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — ground
  23. press — to push
  24. rest — a break

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