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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — money
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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