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: vault · game · cold · bore · cap · perch · craft · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cap — a lid
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. game — a match
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. craft — boats
  10. cold — an illness
  11. vault — a safe
  12. perch — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cap — a hat
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — wild animals
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. perch — for a bird

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