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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · kid · mate · stick · staff · racket · shower · fan

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — employees
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — army training
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — to wash
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kid — child
  23. shower — rain
  24. racket — a loud noise

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