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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — a country
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — a safe
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — to keep track
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. track — a song
  13. rush — hurry
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rest — a break
  18. track — a path
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — to come down

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