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: land · present · wound · pitch · bank · arm · rock · clip

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. present — there
  4. land — ground
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. present — a gift
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — the time now
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. land — a country

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