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: net · vault · cabinet · sharp · mouse · wound · row · cap

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — after costs
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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