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 · fine · patient · shower · cell · bowl · plane · mug

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mug — a face
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mug — a cup
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fine — high quality
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cell — a phone
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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