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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 120 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: squash · rest · rule · snap · kid · drill

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to click
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. drill — army training
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rest — a break
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rule — government

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