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: vault · squash · lean · wake · pop · chair · shower · land

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — a country
  9. wake — a trail
  10. vault — a safe
  11. shower — rain
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. land — ground
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. land — to come down
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. squash — the sport
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pop — music

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