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: content · vault · fan · straw · plane · date · spell · field

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spell — letters
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. field — for sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — the amount
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. content — happy
  24. spell — magic

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