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: toast · vault · last · mine · club · root · pop · arm

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. last — final
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mine — for digging
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — finally
  12. root — of a word
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. club — for golf
  16. pop — to visit
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. club — a group
  19. root — the cause
  20. toast — bread
  21. last — to go on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pop — music

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