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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · cap · coach · bark · tube · press · kid · game

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — to push
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bark — to shout
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — child
  21. game — a match
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — the underground

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