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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — a gift
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. present — the time now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — in biology
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — a city
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a match
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to sink
  24. capital — money

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