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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: bark · cap · swing · pit · kid · game · leaves · saw

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bark — to shout
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pit — in a race
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. swing — music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cap — of ice
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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