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: rash · press · ball · trunk · degree · perch · shower · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. degree — an amount
  3. shower — to wash
  4. press — a publisher
  5. degree — temperature
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — newspapers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. press — to push
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a great time
  19. shower — rain
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. sharp — clever

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