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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: coach · court · pitch · bat · jam · cabinet · wave · chair

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. court — for sport
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pitch — completely

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