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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · leaves · clip · hide · bowl · tube · suit · game

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. game — wild animals
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. suit — to fit
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tube — a container
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. suit — clothes
  21. clip — a video
  22. cold — not warm
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — to cut

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