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 116 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: mine · straw · mate · mug · pitch · row · chair · march

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mine — for digging
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — to paddle
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a line
  20. march — music
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mug — a face
  24. chair — a professorship

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