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: content · key · hand · tear · cold · rush · pitch · stick

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. content — the amount
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rush — hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. tear — to rip
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — the most important part
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — the Cold War

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