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: file · mouse · shower · can · lie · field · current · land

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a document
  5. land — to come down
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. current — of water

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