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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.

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: pit · net · pop · staff · present · spring · stick · clip

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. net — in sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — of water
  5. staff — a stick
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. net — after costs
  15. clip — for paper
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — the time now
  21. pop — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — there
  24. clip — a video

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