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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: wake · chest · chair · foot · court · pop · safe · present

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — a box
  10. present — the time now
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. foot — a measure
  15. present — there
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — of law
  21. present — a gift
  22. chair — a leader
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. chair — to sit on

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