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: can · bound · pitch · chest · drill · stick · bat · spell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — army training
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bound — certain
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bound — obliged
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — for 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