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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: jam · coach · racket · trunk · tube · last · game · roll

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — final
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — a cake
  17. game — wild animals
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. roll — a list
  20. tube — the underground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — a container

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