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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. last — finally
  5. kid — child
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — a box
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. last — to go on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fine — all right
  17. press — to push
  18. craft — boats
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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