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: suit · vault · bat · season · date · chest · wound · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chest — of your body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. chest — a box
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — of the year
  12. suit — clothes
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — an injury
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. season — in sport

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