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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. face — to point toward
  4. dip — to sink
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — for catching
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. net — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — after costs
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stock — shares
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — in music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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