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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: club · hide · tube · swing · face · season · mine · deal

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tube — a container
  3. swing — in golf
  4. club — a group
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. deal — to handle
  7. season — in sport
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. swing — to play on
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — for golf
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. swing — music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — an agreement

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