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 120 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: last · vault · pop · bark · arm · mate · capital · net

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — to go on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. last — final
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. bark — to shout
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. last — finally
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. capital — money
  23. mate — to breed
  24. arm — part of the body

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