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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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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: perch · clip · pass · press · pit · staff · swing · bark

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — a permit
  9. clip — for paper
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — to shout
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — a publisher
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — music
  24. pit — a hole

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