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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — in biology
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. band — a music group
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — a phone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a dance

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