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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — happy
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. vault — a safe
  5. club — a group
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — the amount
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — for golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. club — for dancing
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rash — a series
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mark — a grade

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