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: net · march · kid · capital · lie · charge · ruler · court

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a city
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — money
  16. court — of law
  17. net — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. march — music
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. charge — in control
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. court — of a king

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