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: toast · stand · bat · field · kick · tear · bass · pit

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — low music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. field — farmland
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tear — from crying
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — bread
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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