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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 120 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: deal · cabinet · calf · mouse · pop · racket · kid · row

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — child
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — to handle

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