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: present · pitch · track · ball · march · staff · saw · capital

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. staff — a stick
  4. present — there
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a dance
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ball — a great time
  10. march — the month
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — employees
  16. capital — a city
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a song
  21. capital — money
  22. track — a path
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitch — completely

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