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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: kick · chest · safe · face · toast · key · chair · scale

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to confront
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — in football
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — in music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chest — a box
  16. scale — size or range
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. toast — bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — the most important part
  24. scale — in music

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