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: spring · pitch · mine · rush · stand · fan · rest · mark

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — the season
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mark — a grade

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