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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wave — with your hand

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