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: branch · bat · mouse · pitch · date · rash · swing · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — a division
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — 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