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: lie · ground · mate · stock · vault · fall · stick · coach

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — the season
  3. mate — a partner
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ground — a position
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fall — to drop

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