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 116 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: bound · hide · racket · spell · row · chip · vault · rush

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spell — magic
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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