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: swing · last · branch · capital · key · fork · safe · march

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. capital — money
  6. swing — music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. last — final
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — the most important part
  16. march — music
  17. last — to go on
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a city
  20. swing — in golf
  21. last — finally
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. key — in music
  24. safe — out of danger

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