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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · rush · clip · rash · game · tube · ball · key

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a great time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — hurry
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — in music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. clip — for paper

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