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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. press — to push
  3. degree — from a university
  4. firm — steady
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fall — to drop
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. key — for a lock
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chip — for betting
  20. key — in music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — newspapers
  24. date — on the calendar

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