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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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Word bank
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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: pop · bat · pass · key · content · perch · foot · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. key — in music
  12. content — the amount
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pass — a permit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pop — music
  24. key — the most important part

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