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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — magic
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — for catching
  5. field — farmland
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — in cards
  11. net — after costs
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a line
  15. present — there
  16. fall — to drop
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — help
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — in sport
  24. hand — part of the body

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