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: field · pitch · kick · racket · capital · march · mine · rule

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — farmland
  3. mine — for digging
  4. march — the month
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kick — in football
  9. field — a subject
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. capital — money
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. capital — a city
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — completely

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