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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: temple · row · chair · press · dip · pit · perch · clip

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — a leader
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. press — a publisher
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to sink
  22. clip — a video
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. press — to push

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