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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — to crush
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. squash — the sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a line
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — to push
  14. row — to paddle
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — newspapers
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. board — to get on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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