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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: kick · racket · swing · season · tube · hide · fall · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. swing — music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. tube — the underground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kick — in football
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — a container
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — the season
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — to play on

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