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 116 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 · pitch · pound · fall · charge · chair · wound · branch

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a leader
  19. branch — a division
  20. swing — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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