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: wake · march · pitch · board · spring · net · ball · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — music
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. firm — steady
  9. ball — a great time
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — a company
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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