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: charge · nail · cabinet · degree · deal · snap · chest · roll

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — in control
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — from a university
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — electricity
  10. roll — a cake
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — a box
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chest — of your body
  21. charge — a price
  22. degree — temperature
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chest — of your body

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