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 116 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 · pitch · press · content · chair · rest · firm · race

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — decided
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — completely
  13. press — to push
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — newspapers
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — a contest
  20. firm — a company
  21. race — humankind
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. press — a publisher
  24. key — 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