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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. deal — to handle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — in a race
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — an amount
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. row — a line
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rest — what's left
  15. race — a contest
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — temperature
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rest — a break
  24. row — to paddle

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