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: rush · bay · toast · dip · tube · pit · rash · bat

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — bread
  15. rash — a series
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pit — in a race
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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