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: charge · board · land · content · wake · sharp · deal · degree

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — in control
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — a trail
  13. board — a committee
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. board — to get on
  21. charge — electricity
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — to come down

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