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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
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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: hide · bank · clip · coach · last · stick · field · game

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. last — finally
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. game — a match
  13. bank — for money
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — a video
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — a kind of play

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