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 120 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: mark · degree · charge · saw · pop · chair · mate · bark

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — a price
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pop — soda
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. charge — in control

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