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: cap · pitcher · staff · chest · fan · degree · rest · file

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — a break
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — an amount
  6. file — a document
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — employees
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — of ice
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — a lid
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chest — a box

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