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 120 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: root · last · shower · pitch · vault · chest · bore · mouse

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. shower — to wash
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. last — final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. root — of a word
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chest — a box
  17. last — to go on
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — completely
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — finally

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