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: drill · degree · safe · clip · stem · lash · roll · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. land — to come down
  7. roll — a list
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — to cut
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stem — to come from
  15. clip — for paper
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. clip — a video
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. land — ground

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