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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: content · row · cell · pop · fine · object · wave · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. object — an aim
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. object — to protest
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fine — all right
  16. pop — soda
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — high quality
  22. object — a thing
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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