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

Word bank: pitch · bore · wound · pitcher · file · cabinet · scale · bat

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. file — a tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. file — a document
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. scale — size or range

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