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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — wild animals
  9. present — there
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — in a road
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — the time now
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — a match
  23. present — a gift
  24. game — a kind of play

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