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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pop — to visit
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. last — final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pitch — completely
  19. clip — to cut
  20. last — to go on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — clever
  23. roll — a list
  24. clip — for paper

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