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: degree · pitch · season · game · date · rock · chest · arm

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chest — a box
  7. season — in sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — from a university
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rock — music
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — a stone
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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