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: tube · mark · saw · rock · straw · cell · pitch · date

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rock — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tube — the underground
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mark — a trace
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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