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: wound · march · leaves · bass · net · bat · kick · pitch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. march — music
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. net — in sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bass — low music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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