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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a friend
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mate — to breed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. vault — a safe
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. last — final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — finally
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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