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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — to paddle
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cap — a lid
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cap — a hat
  12. press — to push
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. row — a line
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — a tool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. plane — in geometry

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