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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. swing — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cap — a hat
  9. swing — in golf
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. season — in sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — of the year
  19. object — to protest
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — help
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — for spectators

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