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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: club · chair · toast · jam · dip · perch · key · nail

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. key — for a lock
  4. club — a group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. key — in music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — the fish
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. toast — bread
  19. dip — to sink
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — for golf

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