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: file · kick · straw · net · mine · bulb · lean · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a document
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. net — in sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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