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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — a short time
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. court — of law
  10. game — a match
  11. vault — a safe
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — for sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of a king
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fall — to drop

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