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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — in football
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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