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: saw · pitch · racket · board · spring · stock · rush · spell

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — to get on
  17. stock — goods
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spell — letters
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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