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: game · stock · toast · present · scale · tear · straw · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a match
  6. present — a gift
  7. stock — shares
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — the time now
  17. scale — size or range
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — in music
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — goods

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