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 116 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 · charge · kid · degree · hide · ground · clip · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — a price
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. degree — temperature
  12. clip — for paper
  13. saw — the tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — child
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — to cut
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ground — a position
  20. can — a tin
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — the tool

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