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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
468
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: lie · chair · stick · roll · straw · hand · bulb · pitcher

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bulb — for light
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chair — a professorship

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