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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: stick · bowl · suit · chest · drill · rush · roll · swing

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a list
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. drill — army training
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — a practice
  21. chest — of your body
  22. suit — in cards
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bowl — to roll

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