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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. press — a publisher
  3. firm — a company
  4. band — a music group
  5. shower — to wash
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. season — in sport
  9. firm — decided
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. saw — the tool
  15. firm — steady
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wound — an injury
  18. press — to push
  19. degree — from a university
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. degree — temperature
  24. saw — the tool

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