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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: tube · season · bowl · game · bear · chest · kid · club

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — child
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. kid — to tease
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — a box
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — a container
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. club — a group
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a match
  23. club — for golf
  24. chest — of your body

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