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: deal · board · chest · wind · mark · march · pitch · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — a trace
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — a box
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. board — a committee
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. board — to get on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — completely
  24. march — music

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