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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: fan · drill · row · ruler · swing · calf · coach · cold

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — an illness
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. row — a line
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. drill — a practice
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cold — not warm
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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