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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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Word bank
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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: kid · pop · calf · rash · perch · safe · kick · capital

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kid — to tease
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kick — in football
  9. rash — a series
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a city
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pop — soda
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — child
  20. rash — hasty
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — the fish

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