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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: rule · drill · kid · staff · sharp · stick · row · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — a country
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — to tease
  7. row — to paddle
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — government
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — a stick
  21. row — a line
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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