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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: hide · can · swing · face · racket · mine · game · roll

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — to confront
  14. swing — to play on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. swing — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. swing — in golf
  24. roll — on a roll

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