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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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Word bank
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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: key · chest · mate · foot · current · chair · perch · pass

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — a box
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. perch — the fish
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. current — happening now
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. current — of water
  15. foot — a measure
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — in music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mate — to breed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. current — electric

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