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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: rash · scale · key · racket · march · ball · drill · row

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. drill — army training
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. row — a line
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. key — for a lock
  22. scale — size or range
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — to paddle

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