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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 116 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: season · fan · track · cue · staff · pit · hand · coach

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pit — a hole
  14. track — a song
  15. cue — a signal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pit — in a race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cue — for pool

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