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: key · game · deal · vault · hide · hand · chest · kid

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — help
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. key — in music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. deal — to handle
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. game — a match
  21. key — the most important part
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — a box

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