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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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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: rest · stick · club · cold · rash · craft · racket · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rest — a break
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rash — a series
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — for golf
  18. craft — boats
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — letters
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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