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: pitch · last · wake · capital · wave · net · rush · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. net — after costs
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. game — wild animals
  21. capital — money
  22. last — final
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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