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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spell — letters
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — newspapers
  7. present — there
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — a publisher
  11. degree — temperature
  12. present — the time now
  13. degree — an amount
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spell — magic
  16. ball — a great time
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spell — a short time
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ball — a dance
  22. present — a gift
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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