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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: cell · coach · bass · board · rest · pitch · season · perch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — to get on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. season — of the year
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. board — a committee
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rest — a break
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rest — what's left

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