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 · nail · capital · wax · pitcher · file · tube

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — money
  7. march — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a city
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tube — a container
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — a leader
  24. nail — for a hammer

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