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: object · court · vault · club · straw · fall · row · branch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. row — a line
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — an aim
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — of law
  15. fall — the season
  16. court — for sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. club — for golf
  19. object — a thing
  20. vault — a safe
  21. row — to paddle
  22. branch — a division
  23. club — a group
  24. fall — to drop

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