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 · bound · trunk · net · leaves · cold · rock · roll

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rock — a stone
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — a list
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bound — obliged
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rock — music
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — after costs
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. net — for catching

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