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 · bat · bulb · pitch · bear · fan · date · chip

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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