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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. game — wild animals
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chest — a box
  5. shower — to wash
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. vault — a safe
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — rain
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. game — a match

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