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: pitcher · deal · field · arm · bear · pitch · land · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. deal — to handle
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. field — a subject
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. spell — magic

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