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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: roll · coach · calf · drill · current · racket · last · clip

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — final
  9. clip — for paper
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — electric
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. drill — army training
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. current — of water
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. racket — for tennis

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