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: pound · hand · pitch · mug · safe · spring · tear · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mug — a face
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — the season
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mug — a cup
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — to rob

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