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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 120 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: fine · chip · rush · clip · foot · game · season · dip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. clip — to cut
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — for betting
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. game — a match
  16. fine — all right
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — for paper
  19. season — in sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. dip — to sink
  23. season — of the year
  24. game — wild animals

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