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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. object — to protest
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. object — a thing
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. object — an aim
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spring — the season
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. date — on the calendar

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