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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: object · cold · racket · deal · row · stock · drill · kick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. drill — army training
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — to protest
  8. drill — a practice
  9. object — an aim
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stock — shares
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — to handle
  17. row — to paddle
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cold — not warm
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — a line
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. deal — an agreement
  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