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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 120 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: hand · arm · racket · season · bass · rush · drill · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — of the year
  10. drill — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — low music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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