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: lash · press · season · board · file · club · bass · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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. lash — an eyelash
  4. club — for golf
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bass — the fish
  10. press — a publisher
  11. file — a document
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — to push
  15. board — to get on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. board — a committee
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. club — a group

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