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 · last · cell · row · calf · court · plane · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. last — final
  3. court — of a king
  4. row — a line
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — finally
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chest — of your body
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. calf — of the leg

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