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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rest — a break
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — completely
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. object — to protest
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chair — a leader
  17. object — an aim
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — high quality
  24. object — a thing

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