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: hide · deal · pound · clip · drill · season · land · charge

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — a country
  3. season — in sport
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. deal — to handle
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. drill — army training
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — a weight
  19. charge — electricity
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. land — ground
  22. charge — a price
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. land — to come down

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