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 · cold · root · arm · bowl · bank · rock · swing

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bank — for money
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rock — a stone
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. root — the cause
  19. swing — music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cold — the Cold War

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