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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: rock · arm · bat · ruler · kid · drill · ground · bore

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. drill — army training
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kid — child
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ground — the earth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. drill — the tool

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