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: wake · vault · chest · net · snap · object · hand · kid

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. object — to protest
  8. net — after costs
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — a box
  16. net — in sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. snap — to click
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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