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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: scale · perch · chest · key · pass · hand · pop · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hand — help
  10. key — in music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chest — of your body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. scale — in music
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — soda
  23. key — the most important part
  24. sharp — with an edge

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