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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
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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: staff · rock · coach · fan · cell · hand · pitch · jam

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rock — music
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rock — a stone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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