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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — a series
  3. cell — a phone
  4. game — a match
  5. cell — in biology
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — a jug

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