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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pit · dip · chair · clip · land · foot · plane · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pit — in a race
  5. dip — to sink
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — a country
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pit — a hole
  15. net — after costs
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. land — ground
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. clip — to cut

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