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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: leaves · clip · game · coach · ground · racket · track · chip

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — a video
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — the earth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chip — for betting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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