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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: fall · drill · ball · clip · roll · season · racket · pound

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. clip — to cut
  3. roll — a list
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — of the year
  8. clip — a video
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ball — a dance
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pound — a weight
  23. roll — a cake
  24. season — in sport

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