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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: rush · track · cue · scale · drill · hand · racket · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — help
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — in music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cue — a hint
  9. drill — army training
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cue — a signal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — hurry
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — size or range

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