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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. plane — a tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a document
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a tool
  24. spring — of water

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