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: lean · clip · vault · fan · perch · court · race · rock

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — to bend
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rock — a stone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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