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 120 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: mine · rash · file · tube · pitcher · bulb · pitch · net

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — after costs
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — a series
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. file — a document
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — of a plant

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