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: fall · pitch · board · pop · ground · arm · squash · straw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ground — a position
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — soda
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ground — the earth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. board — to get on
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pop — music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fall — to drop

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