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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — of the year
  3. staff — a stick
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — a practice
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. key — for a lock
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — of water

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