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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — letters
  6. lean — thin
  7. cue — a signal
  8. fine — all right
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — in cards
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — final
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fine — high quality
  24. hand — help

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