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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: march · fan · row · scale · rule · charge · coach · field

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. march — the month
  4. field — for sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — music
  11. row — a line
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. rule — a law
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. charge — in control
  21. rule — government
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. coach — a trainer

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