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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. ground — the earth
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — a city
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ground — a position
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — a box
  19. capital — money
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. degree — an amount
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rest — a break

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