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: vault · land · bat · rash · squash · roll · chair · staff

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rash — a series
  3. staff — a stick
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — hasty
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. roll — a list
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — to come down
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — the animal
  23. land — ground
  24. roll — a cake

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