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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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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: track · swing · coach · deal · board · scale · ground · fall

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — in music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ground — crushed
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fall — the season
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — a position
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. swing — music
  22. track — a path
  23. scale — size or range
  24. track — a song

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