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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: cold · season · chip · coach · ground · staff · last · racket

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — the earth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. last — finally
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cold — an illness
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — a position
  24. chip — for betting

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