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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pit — a hole
  9. file — a document
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. suit — to fit
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. suit — clothes
  21. ground — crushed
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pitch — a sports field

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