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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: temple · wind · roll · staff · drill · racket · ball · fall

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. roll — a list
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — employees
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — a stick
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — to turn a key

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