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: date · chair · snap · coach · file · bear · net · lean

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to click
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. date — the fruit
  20. file — a document
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — the animal

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