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: calf · racket · ground · pop · file · row · mate · pitch

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mate — to breed
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — a friend
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pop — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — a line
  20. file — a line of people
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

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