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: wind · mine · last · board · season · chair · mug · pitch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitch — completely
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. board — a committee
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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