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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. squash — to crush
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. suit — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. suit — to fit
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. charge — in control
  14. net — for catching
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. march — music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. suit — clothes
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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