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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: rush · toast · tube · kick · chip · clip · fall · mouse

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — a video
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kick — in football
  19. chip — to eat
  20. toast — bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mouse — the animal

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