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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: net · lie · clip · date · jam · chair · file · season

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. net — after costs
  3. file — a line of people
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — of the year
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chair — a leader
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — to cut
  19. file — a tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. season — to add flavour

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