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: bat · charge · rash · chest · racket · tear · toast · season

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chest — a box
  15. tear — to rip
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. toast — bread

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