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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 120 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: foot · pit · net · clip · press · lean · land · kick

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. net — for catching
  6. clip — for paper
  7. press — newspapers
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — in sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lean — thin
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — a country
  16. net — after costs
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. kick — a thrill

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