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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — of law
  6. club — for golf
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — of water
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to confront
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spring — a coil
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — for sport
  18. club — a group
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — to come from
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spell — magic

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