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: jam · capital · calf · vault · trunk · mine · spell · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. vault — a safe
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — money
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. capital — a city
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — wild animals
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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