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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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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: pit · mine · staff · kid · roll · rule · drill · lean

  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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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. staff — employees
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — government
  9. pit — in a race
  10. drill — army training
  11. roll — a list
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — employees
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mine — for digging
  23. staff — a stick
  24. roll — a cake

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