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 116 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: cue · bound · season · cabinet · pitch · object · capital · wind

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. object — an aim
  5. cue — a hint
  6. object — to protest
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a city
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — of the year
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — certain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cue — for pool

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