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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: rest · mouse · kid · rule · drill · field

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — army training
  11. rule — a law
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mouse — the animal

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