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 · ground · temple · content · date · wound · calf · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. content — the amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — the earth
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ground — a position
  16. court — of law
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — a young animal
  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