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: bass · pitch · degree · kick · tube · shower · fall · press

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fall — the season
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — in football
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — to push
  24. shower — to wash

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