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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 · lash · scale · rule · drill · cold · mate · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — a practice
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rule — a law
  8. drill — army training
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. scale — in music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rule — government
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. drill — the tool

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