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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: rock · pit · foot · mug · sharp · lie · perch · chair

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rock — music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mug — to rob
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mug — a face
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rock — a stone

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