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: rash · mark · fall · bat · mug · field · rush · net

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — the season
  5. net — for catching
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mug — a face
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. field — for sport
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — a series
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — in sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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