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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. degree — from a university
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — an amount
  19. season — of the year
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bulb — for light

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