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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — crushed
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spring — of water
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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