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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — a country
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. squash — the sport
  20. land — ground
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. land — to come down
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — the animal

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