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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · degree · last · wind · press · chip · staff · lash

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — temperature
  9. press — to push
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — to eat
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. last — finally
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — to go on
  24. lash — to lash out

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