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: mine · board · scale · bound · pitch · net · root · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. board — to get on
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — the cause
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — in music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. root — of a word
  12. bound — tied together
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a plant
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — after costs
  23. bound — certain
  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