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 120 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: game · calf · charge · hand · clip · mine · degree · bank

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — for digging
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — electricity
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — of a river
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — for money
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. game — a match
  21. clip — for paper
  22. charge — in control
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. charge — a price

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