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: march · chair · vault · date · fall · capital · mark · saw

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mark — a grade
  9. march — the month
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. march — the month
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. march — music

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