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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: kick · arm · object · racket · date · kid · pop · mine

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. object — to protest
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pop — soda
  15. kid — to tease
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kid — child
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — to visit
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kick — in football
  23. object — an aim
  24. racket — for tennis

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