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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · cell · swing · last · coach · bowl · net · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. last — to go on
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cell — in biology
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. last — final
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cell — a phone

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