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: clip · cap · mine · land · hide · bowl · deal · calf

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — a country
  5. deal — to handle
  6. land — ground
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — of ice
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — a video
  22. land — to come down
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. clip — for paper

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