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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: temple · chair · rock · bat · wake · wave · key · perch

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rock — a stone
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — the most important part

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