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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. swing — music
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — hurry
  16. row — a line
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — a safe
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. swing — in golf
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — wild animals

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