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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pop — to visit
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — a path
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kick — in football
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — with a leg

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