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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · track · rule · row · swing · cold · scale · temple

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. track — a song
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cold — not warm
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. row — a line
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. track — a path
  14. rule — government
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — size or range
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rule — a law
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. track — to keep track
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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