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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: ground · game · fine · fan · clip · can · hide · present

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ground — the earth
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — a match
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — crushed
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — all right
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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