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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 120 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: stick · racket · rush · bound · drill · object · ground · chest

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — a box
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — army training
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ground — a position
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. object — an aim

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