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: shower · file · bay · ground · pitch · court · mate · mine

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — to breed
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. court — for sport
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. file — a document
  21. court — of a king
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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