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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: land · perch · calf · kid · bay · mark · fan · row

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. row — a line
  7. kid — child
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mark — a grade
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — a trace
  22. land — to come down
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. row — a quarrel

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