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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · racket · prune · pitch · stick · pound

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pound — a weight
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pound — to hit hard

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