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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: drill · object · kid · face · rule · rush · chip · bay

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. object — an aim
  6. drill — the tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. drill — army training
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to confront
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. kid — child
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rule — government
  23. object — a thing
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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