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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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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 · march · firm · fine · rule · clip · bore · ground

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. clip — a video
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ground — the earth
  10. firm — steady
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fine — all right
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rule — government
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rule — a law
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — a position
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — high quality

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