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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: fan · pop · coach · game · tube · roll · plane · rest

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pop — soda
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. roll — a list
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a match
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pop — to visit
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. tube — a container
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. coach — a trainer

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