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: march · fine · ruler · pitch · shower · chip · squash · stick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pitch — completely
  10. squash — to crush
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. shower — to wash
  17. march — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. shower — rain
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — for betting

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