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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 120 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: perch · key · track · capital · chest · cap · kick · fall

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cap — a hat
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — of ice
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. key — in music
  15. chest — a box
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — a city
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — in football
  22. cap — a lid
  23. key — the most important part
  24. perch — the fish

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