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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chair — a leader
  3. present — there
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rush — hurry
  9. toast — bread
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — of water
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. present — a gift
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitch — completely

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