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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. file — a tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. club — for golf
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rule — government
  19. club — a group
  20. scale — size or range
  21. file — a document
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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