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

Word bank: drill · net · club · cue · hand · bowl · roll · cap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. roll — a list
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. cap — a lid
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — a signal
  11. net — in sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hand — in cards
  18. club — a group
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — help
  21. cue — a hint
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. roll — a cake

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