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 · land · field · mine · kid · bear · kick · leaves

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. land — ground
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — farmland
  14. kick — in football
  15. kid — child
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. land — a country
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — to tease

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