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: tube · mine · pound · spring · lean · pit · chest · cabinet

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — a box
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. mine — for digging

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