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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.

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: leaves · can · game · field · roll · racket · coach · clip

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. can — to be able to
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. clip — a video
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — farmland
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. game — a match
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — for paper
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. can — a tin

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