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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: jam · chair · coach · club · fan · last · racket · field

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. field — for sport
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — for golf
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — final
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. club — for dancing
  14. field — a subject
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chair — a leader
  17. club — a group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — farmland
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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