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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — for sport
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rash — hasty
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — a series
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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