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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: chest · tube · suit · rush · rule · can · clip · bore

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. can — a tin
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tube — a container
  8. rule — a law
  9. clip — a video
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. suit — clothes

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