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: bass · court · tear · mouse · last · pitch · rush · kick

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. tear — to rip
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — low music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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