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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: chair · scale · cell · key · file · march

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. march — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. file — a tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. scale — in music
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a document
  17. march — the month
  18. cell — a phone

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