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: kid · march · capital · file · saw · mate · chair · bank

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. capital — a city
  16. bank — of a river
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — money
  20. file — a line of people
  21. kid — child
  22. file — a document
  23. kid — to tease
  24. saw — the tool

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