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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: chip · fine · hand · clip · march · dip · rush · pass

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. clip — a video
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. clip — to cut
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pass — a permit
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — help
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fine — all right
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. clip — for paper
  24. hand — in cards

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