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: staff · vault · row · ball · bass · net · shower · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. date — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. shower — to wash
  9. net — in sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bass — low music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ball — a great time
  19. net — after costs
  20. row — a line
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bass — the instrument

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