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: cold · squash · staff · track · press · degree · swing · chip

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — a publisher
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chip — to eat
  5. track — a song
  6. swing — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — an illness
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — the sport
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — a path
  19. press — to push
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chip — for betting
  22. press — newspapers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. squash — the vegetable

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