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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. last — finally
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. scale — in music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pass — a permit
  14. last — final
  15. band — a ring
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — certain
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bound — tied together

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