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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 · perch · chest · staff · arm · chair · ruler · key

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — the most important part
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. staff — a stick
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chest — a box
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. key — for a lock
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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