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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rock — a stone
  3. drill — army training
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cold — an illness
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rash — hasty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — not warm
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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