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: shower · kid · patient · track · hand · arm · file · lie

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. file — a tool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a document
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a path
  21. kid — child
  22. track — to keep track
  23. file — a line of people
  24. arm — part of the body

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