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 120 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: land · game · file · shower · mouse · bowl · current · rush

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. land — to come down
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — electric

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