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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: club · content · staff · cue · object · foot · drill · rash

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cue — a hint
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. staff — employees
  7. cue — for pool
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for dancing
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cue — a signal
  20. club — for golf
  21. drill — a practice
  22. object — a thing
  23. foot — a measure
  24. club — a group

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