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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tube — a container
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a line of people
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. file — a document
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. file — a tool
  23. kid — child
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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