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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. roll — a list
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. sharp — clever
  18. game — wild animals
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. game — a match
  21. current — electric
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. land — ground

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