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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mine — for digging
  12. press — to push
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — from a university
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — rain

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