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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: foot · mug · kid · chip · arm · bore · drill · rule

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rule — a law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mug — to rob
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. drill — army training
  17. rule — government
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bore — to tire
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. kid — child

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