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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. pop — music
  4. last — final
  5. pop — soda
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. vault — a safe
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hand — help
  18. face — to confront
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — to point toward

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