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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · last · pit · pound · shower · season

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pit — in a race
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. last — final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. shower — rain
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. vault — a safe

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