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: field · vault · capital · patient · pitcher · wound · pound · tube

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. vault — a safe
  5. field — farmland
  6. capital — money
  7. field — a subject
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tube — the underground
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a city
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tube — a container
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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