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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: kid · bay · game · tube · saw · mouse · swing · cap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tube — a container
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kid — child
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. game — a match
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cap — of ice
  18. swing — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cap — a lid

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