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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 120 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: dip · cap · swing · coach · ground · fall · march · row

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — a position
  10. swing — to play on
  11. march — music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. swing — music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cap — of ice
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cap — a hat
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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