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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a partner
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — the time now
  6. fall — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — a gift
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spring — a coil
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — for sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. present — there

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