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: pitch · tear · bat · cold · mug · mark · pop · rush

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a face
  6. cold — an illness
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pop — soda
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rush — to hurry

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