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: pitch · straw · bore · dip · jam · mine · file · court

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. dip — to sink
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. court — of law
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. court — for sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. file — a tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mine — for digging
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitch — completely
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. court — of a king
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. file — a line of people

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