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: drill · pitcher · root · face · fall · pitch · capital · tube

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fall — the season
  4. root — of a word
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fall — to drop
  13. drill — army training
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a plant
  19. drill — the tool
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — the cause

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