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 120 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: pitch · ball · game · current · band · swing · leaves · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a music group
  5. ball — a great time
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. swing — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. swing — in golf
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. leaves — of a tree

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