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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — of water
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spring — a coil
  23. march — music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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