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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pop — music
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pop — soda
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pop — to visit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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