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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — to breed
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. last — final
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — finally
  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