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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: nail · rush · club · cold · ball · date · straw · fine

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. club — a group
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ball — a great time
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. club — for golf
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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