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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stock — shares
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — an amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — goods
  18. squash — the sport
  19. clip — to cut
  20. charge — a price
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — to handle

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