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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: chip · drill · bay · kid · object · present · rest · squash

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — army training
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rest — what's left
  8. present — there
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. drill — a practice
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. present — the time now
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — child
  19. rest — a break
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — a horse colour

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