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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mug — a cup
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. capital — money
  12. track — a song
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mug — a face
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a path
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chest — a box
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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