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: foot · cap · pit · vault · chest · band · nail · bat

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. band — a ring
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — in a race
  7. foot — a measure
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cap — of ice

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