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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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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: swing · coach · ruler · kick · hide · present · tube · fork

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. present — there
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — a container
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. present — a gift
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kick — in football
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ruler — for measuring

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