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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: pitch · game · season · cue · chip · coach · rock · band

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. band — a ring
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. band — a music group
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rock — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. season — in sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  24. game — wild animals

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