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: game · hide · branch · pitch · wind · saw · pitcher · file

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a match
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — a division
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — of a bank

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