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: key · mark · chest · safe · fan · degree · rest · pitch

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — a grade
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — completely
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. key — in music
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chest — of your body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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