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: suit · content · degree · field · pitch · pit · rest · net

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pit — in a race
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — in sport
  8. content — happy
  9. suit — in cards
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — farmland
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitch — completely
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. field — a subject
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — after costs
  24. rest — what's left

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