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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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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: rush · clip · game · suit · pit · straw · file · jam

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pit — in a race
  6. file — a document
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a line of people
  12. clip — for paper
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. suit — to fit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rush — hurry
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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