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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: rash · kick · fine · chest · rule · lean · content · tube

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — happy
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fine — all right
  11. kick — in football
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rule — government
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. content — the amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rule — to rule out

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