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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: pitcher · field · coach · mine · suit · cell · chest · charge

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — a price
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — a phone
  19. suit — in cards
  20. field — a subject
  21. suit — to fit
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — an explosive

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