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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. press — a publisher
  4. tube — the underground
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. court — of a king
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — a container
  11. plane — a tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. row — a line
  15. degree — from a university
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — in sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — to paddle
  24. press — to push

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