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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: cap · kick · nail · craft · mate · pop · racket · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — to paddle
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. craft — boats
  21. kick — in football
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — a hat

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