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: leaves · field · lean · bulb · kick · chest · file · net

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — for sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. net — after costs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kick — in football
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. net — for catching
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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