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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — of water
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a dance
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a great time
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — from a university
  17. press — to push
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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