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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: season · drill · rush · row · dip · mark · racket · cabinet

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to sink
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — a practice
  12. row — to paddle
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — in sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cabinet — ministers

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