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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rash — hasty
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bear — the animal
  6. vault — a safe
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. season — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — a series
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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