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: wake · rest · scale · content · game · tear · pit · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pit — in a race
  10. content — the amount
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wake — a trail
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a match
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — 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