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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: tube · chip · mouse · shower · swing · date · hide · ball

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ball — a great time
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ball — a dance
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — for betting
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — rain
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mouse — the animal

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