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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: saw · rush · game · chair · pit · clip · coach · degree

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. rush — to hurry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. clip — for paper
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. game — wild animals
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — a match
  22. chair — a leader
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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