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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: content · foot · coach · race · perch · band · key · chair

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. band — a music group
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a ring
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. key — in music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — the most important part
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — part of the 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