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: march · hide · tube · vault · date · court · present · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — of a king
  4. present — there
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — the underground
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. march — the month
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tube — a container
  20. bat — the animal
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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