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 · date · ball · lean · field · club · pound · straw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. lean — thin
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pound — a weight
  8. vault — a safe
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — a subject
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. lean — to bend
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. club — for golf
  21. field — farmland
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ball — a dance

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