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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · straw · band · file · chair · kid · bulb · lie

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. file — a tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a document
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a line of people
  17. band — a music group
  18. lie — to recline
  19. band — a ring
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lie — an untruth

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