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: calf · coach · file · bat · capital · cap · pitch · staff

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. staff — employees
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. capital — a city
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cap — of ice
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. capital — money
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cap — a lid

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