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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: sharp · kid · net · rule · tube · chest · pound · rush

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rule — a law
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — child
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — to tease
  22. tube — a container
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pound — to hit hard

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