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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 116 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: straw · chair · suit · clip · can · tube · pit · fork

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. suit — to fit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — in a road
  6. tube — a container
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — a video
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — a leader
  14. can — to be able to
  15. suit — clothes
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chair — to sit on

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