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: jam · club · degree · roll · cabinet · pound · press · foot

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. roll — a list
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. press — to push
  5. degree — from a university
  6. press — a publisher
  7. roll — a cake
  8. degree — an amount
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. press — newspapers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pound — a weight
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. degree — temperature
  23. foot — the bottom
  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