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: pitch · chair · shower · spring · dip · root · hide · pitcher

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. spring — of water
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. chair — a leader
  11. dip — to sink
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spring — a coil
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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