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 120 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: fall · row · band · pitch · patient · chip · court · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a music group
  3. chip — for betting
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chip — to eat
  7. row — a line
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of law
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitch — completely

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