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: pop · kick · cold · leaves · spell · ball · vault · fan

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spell — magic
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pop — soda
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. spell — a short time
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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