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: temple · mine · chest · pitch · rash · key · rule · pop

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — a law
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — a series
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pop — music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rule — government
  24. key — in music

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