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: last · pitch · rush · chest · spring · toast · row · wound

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. row — a line
  3. last — finally
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — the season
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — to go on
  11. spring — of water
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spring — a coil
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. last — final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — bread
  19. rush — hurry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — a box
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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