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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chip · fine · hide · pass · march · prune · clip

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — all right
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. march — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — a permit
  22. clip — a video
  23. chip — to eat
  24. march — the month

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