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: game · row · wake · key · pitch · chair · cell · march

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. key — for a lock
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — wild animals
  15. key — the most important part
  16. row — a line
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. march — the month
  21. game — a match
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. key — in music

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