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 116 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: present · pitch · squash · club · bound · lean · wind · field

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — farmland
  3. club — for golf
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — obliged
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. present — there
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — to crush
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. present — the time now
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — a gift
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. club — a group
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bound — tied together

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