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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a match
  6. vault — a safe
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cold — not warm
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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