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 120 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: game · row · plane · foot · degree · ground · press · saw

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. ground — crushed
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. foot — a measure
  8. press — newspapers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. game — a match
  14. degree — temperature
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. ground — a position
  18. row — to paddle
  19. game — wild animals
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. degree — from a university

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