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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: rash · rule · bore · pass · drill · bat · kick · coach

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rule — government
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kick — in football
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rash — a series
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bore — to drill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. drill — army training

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