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: pitcher · hide · bat · stand · wake · dip · capital · band

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — money
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. capital — a city
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stand — to bear

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