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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: perch · calf · mate · pit · mine · degree · kid · squash

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — to breed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kid — child
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kid — to tease
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the sport

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