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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 120 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 · cue · coach · last · ground · chip · bat · press

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ground — a position
  3. press — to push
  4. last — finally
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ground — crushed
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — a hint
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. press — newspapers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — of the year
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — final
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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