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: patient · cap · kid · calf · rock · hand · game · shower

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rock — music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. shower — rain
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kid — to tease
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. game — a match
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. kid — child

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