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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: bat · arm · chair · perch · rest · key · roll · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. roll — a list
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — tied together
  13. roll — a cake
  14. key — in music
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. rest — a break
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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