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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
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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: chair · perch · clip · game · pitch · lean · jam · object

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. clip — a video
  4. game — wild animals
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — a match
  8. object — an aim
  9. lean — thin
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chair — a leader
  14. clip — to cut
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. object — to protest
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to bend
  20. object — a thing
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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