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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: last · drill · chair · row · roll · bulb · pass · clip

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. clip — a video
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. drill — a practice
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — finally
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. roll — a cake
  24. drill — army training

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