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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. march — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tube — the underground
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spring — a coil

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