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 116 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: saw · last · ruler · degree · key · deal · bear · press

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. last — final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. last — to go on
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. key — for a lock
  11. deal — to handle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. press — to push
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — finally
  17. key — in music
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. key — the most important part
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. deal — an agreement

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