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 116 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 · chair · spell · court · wake · cell · rule · stock

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. court — for sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. court — of a king
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — shares
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cell — in biology
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. court — of law
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stock — goods
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — a safe

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