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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: mouse · court · bore · drill · row · kid · stock · rule

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rule — government
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — army training
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — of law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — child
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to drill

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