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 116 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: march · firm · land · file · rule · wave · wind · lie

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. file — a line of people
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — music
  5. rule — government
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — steady
  9. land — ground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — a law
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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