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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 120 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: track · season · ball · cell · last · game · coach · bank

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — a match
  3. track — a song
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. last — final
  14. bank — of a river
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. track — to keep track
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cell — in biology
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bank — for money

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