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: leaves · court · wake · cold · rock · mate · vault · stick

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mate — a friend
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of law

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