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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. object — a thing
  6. swing — in golf
  7. swing — music
  8. present — the time now
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. field — for sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — a hat
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitch — completely
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. swing — to play on
  19. object — to protest
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — a subject
  22. rash — hasty
  23. present — there
  24. hand — help

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