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: charge · game · pitch · spell · net · chair · roll · stand

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stand — to bear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — a leader
  13. charge — in control
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spell — magic
  21. game — a match
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. charge — a price

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