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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — in music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. ground — the earth
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. field — farmland
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. date — on the calendar

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