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: chest · pitch · stick · degree · wax · pit · cold · nail

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — a box
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — an illness
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — to grow
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pitch — a sports field

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