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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 120 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: degree · present · rock · kid · ruler · kick · saw · drill

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. kid — child
  3. present — the time now
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. present — there
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — in football
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. drill — army training
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rock — music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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