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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. present — there
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — final
  6. field — farmland
  7. last — to go on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — a subject
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — in music
  14. present — a gift
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — finally
  19. field — for sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — the most important part
  24. present — the time now

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