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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: kid · calf · rule · mark · clip · fine · drill · jam

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — child
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — a video
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. drill — army training
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. clip — to cut
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — government
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mark — a grade

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