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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pit — a hole
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bank — for money
  6. plane — a tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — to come down
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — in a race
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. perch — the fish
  17. land — a country
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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