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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. pit — in a race
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a leader
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — a video
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  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