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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.

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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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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: pass · chair · bound · cap · date · last · straw · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — final
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chair — a leader
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — finally
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — the fruit
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a hat

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