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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — a series
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a match
  8. press — a publisher
  9. degree — an amount
  10. game — wild animals
  11. degree — temperature
  12. press — to push
  13. degree — from a university
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — hasty
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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