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 · land · cap · leaves · racket · perch · straw · spring

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — the season
  8. cap — of ice
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — of water
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a hat
  14. vault — a safe
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — to come down
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — a coil
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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