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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — in music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stock — shares
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — to paddle
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — size or range
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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