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 120 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — in football
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. staff — a stick
  6. club — a group
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. straw — dry grass

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