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: object · mouse · rush · pitch · capital · bound · season · branch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. object — to protest
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bound — certain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rush — hurry
  17. branch — a division
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — obliged
  21. object — a thing
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. season — in sport

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