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: kid · pit · degree · mine · patient · stick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — to tease
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. 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