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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. game — a match
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a music group
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitch — completely

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