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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cold — an illness
  4. press — to push
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — a series
  7. cold — not warm
  8. object — to protest
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — letters
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spell — a short time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — a thing
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — magic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bank — for money
  24. object — an aim

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