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: hide · press · degree · lie · board · rash · straw · stick

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — to push
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. degree — temperature
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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