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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. vault — a safe
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — shares
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. branch — a division
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — ground
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — a leader
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — letters
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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