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: mate · patient · tube · kid · shower · rush · bat · bowl

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kid — child
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bat — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tube — the underground
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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