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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — rain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a city
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stock — goods
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mine — for digging
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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