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: last · fall · key · band · march · degree · press · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a ring
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — the most important part
  11. press — newspapers
  12. degree — an amount
  13. march — the month
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — music
  17. last — final
  18. fall — the season
  19. last — finally
  20. press — to push
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — in music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. band — a music 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