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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — in football
  4. bank — for money
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — a match
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. date — the fruit

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