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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: roll · mine · season · fan · perch · pit · foot · clip

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — of the year
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. roll — a cake
  14. season — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. clip — for paper
  18. roll — a list
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pit — in a race
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — belonging to me

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