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: stand · straw · fork · band · pitch · trunk · staff · game

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a music group
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — in a road
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stand — to bear

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