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

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — child
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — to be able to
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — the month
  24. can — a tin

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