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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. vault — a safe
  3. last — to go on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — final
  6. shower — rain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a path
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — to keep track
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — a song

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