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: craft · spring · vault · kid · mark · spell · mine · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. craft — boats
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. craft — a skill
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mark — a grade
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — magic
  24. mine — for digging

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