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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. date — the fruit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — ground
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. squash — the sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. face — to confront
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pop — soda
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ground — the earth
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ground — a position
  24. straw — dry grass

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