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: file · chair · rush · sharp · capital · hand · saw · mug

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. capital — money
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mug — to rob
  17. file — a document
  18. hand — help
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — hurry

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