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: degree · pitcher · fall · sharp · tube · rash · kid · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — a series
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kid — to tease
  6. degree — temperature
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — a container
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — child
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tube — in a tire

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