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: can · clip · straw · hand · land · degree · cabinet · net

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. can — a tin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — to come down
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. clip — a video
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. hand — help
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — for catching
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — in cards
  20. clip — to cut
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — ground
  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