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: club · date · patient · mouse · hand · bear · kid · net

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. club — for golf
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mouse — the animal

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