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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 120 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: content · pass · kick · rule · tube · scale · tear · chair

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. tube — a container
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — in music
  14. content — the amount
  15. kick — in football
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rule — government
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rule — a law
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. content — happy

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