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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: coach · pitcher · deal · face · squash · rule · swing · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — to confront
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. swing — to play on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — for money
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rule — government
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. swing — music

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