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: foot · wake · vault · file · cap · press · roll · fall

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — the season
  10. cap — of ice
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cap — a lid
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a document
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — a safe
  24. roll — on a roll

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