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: mate · bat · stick · cell · date · arm · march · pitch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. date — the fruit
  14. march — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — in biology
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. march — the month

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