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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. band — a music group
  3. object — to protest
  4. band — a ring
  5. race — a contest
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — a face
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — a cup
  17. race — humankind
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — to rob
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — a thing
  24. sharp — clever

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