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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: key · perch · wake · club · board · safe · fall · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — for a lock
  11. club — for golf
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fall — to drop
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — the most important part
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. key — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — the season
  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