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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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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: bass · clip · rule · safe · mine · cap · kid · toast

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kid — child
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rule — government
  9. clip — a video
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — low music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. toast — bread
  23. rule — a law
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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