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 · straw · suit · content · spell · mine · cold · toast

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mine — for digging
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — an illness
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spell — magic
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spell — a short time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. content — happy
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. spell — letters
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. vault — a safe

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