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: ball · season · pitcher · toast · board · ground · wind · capital

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — to get on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — a position
  7. capital — a city
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. ball — a dance
  14. capital — money
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. toast — bread
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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