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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — a path
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — a safe
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pop — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a great time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pop — soda

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