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: mate · vault · clip · stem · capital · fan · ruler · pound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — for paper
  8. capital — money
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mate — to breed
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. clip — a video

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