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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: rule · file · bass · clip · tear · staff · kick · press

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — government
  3. file — a tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kick — in football
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a document
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. clip — for paper
  20. press — to push
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tear — from crying

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