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: pitch · mine · cap · game · track · fan · tube · spell

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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 — for digging
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. track — a path
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — to keep track
  20. spell — letters
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tube — the underground
  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