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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: kid · chest · rock · key · perch · chip · clip · leaves

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chip — to eat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — a video
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. key — in music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. kid — child
  17. key — the most important part
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — to cut
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — for a bird

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