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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. file — a tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. file — a document
  14. march — music
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. season — to add flavour

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