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 120 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: chest · rest · band · coach · degree · can · patient · key

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. band — a ring
  9. can — to be able to
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — a box
  12. band — a music group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — from a university
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — for a lock

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