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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: cell · coach · chair · season · rush · suit · field · cue

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. chair — a leader
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — for pool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. suit — clothes
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a hint
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. suit — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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