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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. object — a thing
  5. fine — high quality
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — to eat
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. board — a committee
  15. deal — to handle
  16. roll — a list
  17. clip — for paper
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a cake
  22. clip — to cut
  23. object — an aim
  24. chip — for betting

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