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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. dip — to sink
  7. current — of water
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kid — to tease
  13. field — a subject
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. current — electric
  16. scale — in music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. current — happening now
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. toast — bread
  24. kid — child

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