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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: key · rule · present · kid · hand · tube · clip · bass

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — help
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — a container
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — for paper
  10. present — there
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — a video
  16. rule — a law
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — the underground
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — to cut
  21. key — in music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rule — government

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