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: lean · file · straw · capital · mine · spring · board · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spring — of water
  7. capital — money
  8. board — to get on
  9. lean — to bend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. board — a committee
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — the season
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a document
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a city
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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