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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: chair · tear · dip · saw · perch · net · pit · season

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pit — a hole
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — after costs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. season — of the year
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — a leader
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — a professorship

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