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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. land — ground
  3. last — finally
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — hurry
  12. shower — rain
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. land — to come down
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. last — to go on
  21. land — a country
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — final

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