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

Word bank: root · band · mate · kid · row · mug · arm · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. root — the cause
  8. band — a ring
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kid — child
  12. root — of a plant
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a line
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kick — with a leg

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