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: clip · vault · court · mine · swing · row · arm · pass

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. 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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a line
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. swing — to play on
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. 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