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: chest · perch · present · rule · pitch · tube · root · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rule — government
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — a box
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. present — the time now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — of a word
  13. rule — a law
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — completely
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — the underground
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. present — there
  24. chest — of your body

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