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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: craft · pop · jam · hand · ball · racket · root · drill

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. craft — a skill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — a practice
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — help
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pop — to visit
  15. drill — the tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — soda

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