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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. squash — to crush
  10. shower — rain
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — the sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. plane — a tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — to sink

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