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: patient · rash · march · coach · land · file · wind · wave

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — a series
  16. march — music
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — ground
  21. file — a tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. coach — a trainer

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