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: bat · game · vault · safe · tear · foot · lie · clip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — a match
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lie — to recline
  9. foot — a measure
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. safe — out of danger

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