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: hide · mate · pitch · object · file · pitcher · wind · stock

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — an aim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. object — a thing
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. object — to protest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stock — shares
  24. hide — animal skin

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