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 120 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: bat · pop · mate · stand · hand · rush · bass · drill

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bass — the fish
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pop — soda
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. drill — army training

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