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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: racket · current · kick · row · wave · kid · pitcher · pound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. current — of water
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pound — a weight
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — child
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — happening now
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — in football
  24. pound — for dogs

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