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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. roll — a cake
  7. craft — a skill
  8. roll — a list
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bass — the fish
  18. craft — boats
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — low music

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