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 · cold · rule · bowl · lash · roll · pitch · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — a law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a list
  14. cold — not warm
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. roll — a cake
  19. press — to push
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  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