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: court · fall · vault · straw · roll · net · mine · ground

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — in sport
  5. court — for sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — for catching
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — a position
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — after costs
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — for digging

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