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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: clip · mine · rest · net · game · march · press · pass

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rest — a break
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — a match
  10. net — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — what's left
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. march — the month
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — music
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. clip — to cut
  24. game — a kind of play

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