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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. current — of water
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. current — electric
  5. content — happy
  6. cue — a hint
  7. track — a song
  8. court — for sport
  9. track — to keep track
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. clip — for paper
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. content — the amount
  15. march — music
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — for pool
  18. clip — a video
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — a signal
  22. current — happening now
  23. clip — to cut
  24. content — videos and posts

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