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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spring — of water
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. root — of a plant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitch — a sports field

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