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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — money
  8. swing — in golf
  9. capital — a city
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — the season
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — of water
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rest — a break
  24. mouse — for a computer

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