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 · cell · fall · wind · mark · spring · race

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mark — a grade
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spring — of water
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — a contest
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — a coil
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. race — the arms race

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