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: saw · kid · dip · vault · hide · last · march · present

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — finally
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — the month
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. vault — a safe
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. present — there
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. march — the month
  23. last — final
  24. hide — animal skin

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