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: pitch · land · degree · cue · pitcher · pop · net · trunk

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — a country
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. net — after costs
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — ground
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — soda
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pop — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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