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: bark · club · vault · face · saw · degree · file · stem

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bark — to shout
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — temperature
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. club — for dancing
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to confront
  21. club — for golf
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. club — a group
  24. stem — a stem cell

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