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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 120 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: rash · key · vault · chest · chair · mine · perch · arm

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — in music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. perch — the fish
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rash — a series
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rash — on the skin

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