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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: trunk · swing · bat · rule · kick · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. swing — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. trunk — of a car

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