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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · chair · coach · content · ball · field · staff · mine

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pop — soda
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — a stick
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — to visit
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. field — a subject

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