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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitch — completely
  5. kid — to tease
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — child
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — of a tree

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