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

Word bank: pit · safe · clip · face · perch · lash · chair · jam

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — to cut
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chair — a leader
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — a video
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. perch — the fish
  24. jam — in traffic

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