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: hide · pitch · chip · bowl · cap · row · trunk · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — to paddle
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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