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: track · pitch · tube · race · cold · band · stand · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. track — a song
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. track — a path
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. band — a music group
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — to keep track
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a ring
  19. race — humankind
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cold — an illness

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