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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. vault — a safe
  4. drill — a practice
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cell — a phone
  13. drill — army training
  14. board — a committee
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — to get on
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. last — final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cell — in a prison

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