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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · bear · tube · cap · nail · kick · game · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tube — a container
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kick — in football
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. game — a match
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — a hat
  19. court — of law
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. suit — clothes

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