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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: content · mate · foot · game · tube · swing · charge · hide

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — to play on
  12. tube — the underground
  13. game — a match
  14. charge — in control
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mate — to breed
  17. charge — electricity
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. swing — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. charge — a price
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. hide — to keep secret

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