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: net · pitcher · chair · arm · march · club · ground · game

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. march — music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. club — a group
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. game — a match
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. club — for dancing
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — for catching
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. club — for golf
  24. ground — a position

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