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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: rush · rest · staff · ball · wind · row · mate · club

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a partner
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for golf
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — a line
  16. rest — a break
  17. club — for dancing
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — a group

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