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: bark · face · net · can · wind · plane · bat · vault

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — for catching
  13. face — to confront
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. net — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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