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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · kid · rash · content · perch · last · calf · roll

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — child
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rash — hasty
  13. roll — a list
  14. can — to be able to
  15. last — final
  16. content — happy
  17. last — finally
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — the amount
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  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