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: swing · pitcher · arm · track · season · pop · face · file

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — to keep track
  5. file — a line of people
  6. face — to point toward
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a document
  9. swing — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. track — a song
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. track — a path
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — music
  24. swing — to play on

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