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: wind · date · rush · degree · pitch · lash · pitcher · chip

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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