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: date · hand · face · net · vault · ball · bat · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to confront
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — after costs
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hand — help
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a great time
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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