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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a document
  8. season — of the year
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — army training
  11. cue — for pool
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. file — a line of people
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — a practice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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