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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.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rest — a break
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — a permit
  6. snap — to click
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chair — a leader
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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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