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: court · hide · pitcher · rash · last · shower · bowl · patient

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — of a king
  7. last — finally
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of law
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — rain
  12. court — for sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. last — to go on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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