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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · season · clip · pit · cue · chair · bass · net

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. bass — the fish
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — after costs
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bass — low music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a line of people
  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