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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. land — a country
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cold — an illness
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — ground
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — to come down
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — to bear
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. deal — to handle

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