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: club · spring · kid · sharp · march · dip · craft · vault

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — boats
  7. vault — a safe
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — a coil
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for golf
  13. dip — to sink
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. club — for dancing
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — a group
  22. march — the month
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — of water

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