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: spell · fall · vault · field · spring · perch · club · saw

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. spring — of water
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — farmland
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — the season
  19. saw — the tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fall — to drop
  24. club — a group

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