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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 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
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Word bank
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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: straw · file · chair · track · band · fine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. track — a path
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. track — to keep track
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. band — a music group
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. fine — high quality
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — a leader

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