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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: mate · board · pop · pound · racket · kick · ground · wave

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — to breed
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — to visit
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. ground — a position
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pop — music
  24. kick — in football

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