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: wax · stem · clip · present · chair · charge · mark · sharp

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. charge — electricity
  3. present — the time now
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. clip — a video
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — in control
  8. present — there
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. charge — a price
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mark — a grade
  23. present — a gift
  24. sharp — exactly

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