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

Word bank: spring · swing · pitch · pass · capital · chair · game · court

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. game — a match
  13. court — for sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — a permit
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. capital — money
  22. game — wild animals
  23. capital — a city
  24. swing — in golf

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