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: degree · pitch · perch · press · band · object · cue · saw

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitch — completely
  6. object — an aim
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — newspapers
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cue — for pool
  14. object — to protest
  15. press — a publisher
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a music group
  21. cue — a signal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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