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: degree · bark · sharp · board · press · pound · mark · kid

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. press — to push
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kid — child
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kid — to tease
  24. degree — from a university

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