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: ball · mate · capital · wound · plane · pitch · patient · last

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. capital — money
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mate — a friend
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ball — a dance
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — to go on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — final
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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