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: rest · date · march · file · capital · key · straw · rule

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. key — the most important part
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. key — for a lock
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — a break
  17. rule — a law
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rule — government
  20. march — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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