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

Word bank: kid · perch · degree · bay · bank · toast · calf · bat

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. kid — child
  4. degree — an amount
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — of a river
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — the animal

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