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: foot · degree · land · deal · clip · hide · cabinet · lie

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. clip — to cut
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. clip — a video
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — a country
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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