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: spring · vault · mate · race · degree · hand · lean · tube

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — help
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — a container
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — the underground
  15. degree — temperature
  16. race — a contest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. vault — a safe

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