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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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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: perch · drill · present · pass · chair · pit · snap · hand

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hand — help
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — a gift
  12. drill — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to click
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — army training
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. chair — to sit on

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