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: row · date · bound · root · season · swing · march · pitch

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. row — a line
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pitch — completely
  16. swing — in golf
  17. march — music
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — of the year
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — in sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. root — of a plant

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