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: saw · face · season · content · hand · cabinet · hide · degree

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. degree — from a university
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — help
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. face — part of the head
  18. content — happy
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. degree — temperature
  24. content — the amount

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