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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 · cap · toast · content · wake · chair · kick · stick

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kick — in football
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cap — of ice
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. toast — bread
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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