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

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. club — a group
  12. charge — in control
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — a hole
  24. hand — help

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