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: current · vault · bound · hand · temple · press · season · degree

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — obliged
  3. current — of water
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — a publisher
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — help
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — electric
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. press — to push
  19. degree — an amount
  20. press — newspapers
  21. season — in sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — happening now

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