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: rush · ground · hand · fan · degree · vault · staff · coach

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. vault — a safe
  4. staff — a stick
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — an amount
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. hand — in cards
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. staff — employees
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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