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: band · bat · deal · face · row · date · bark · vault

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. date — the fruit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. face — part of the head
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. face — to confront
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bark — to shout

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