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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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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: date · kid · drill · kick · race · ruler

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kid — child
  6. date — the fruit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — army training
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. race — humankind
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ruler — for measuring

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