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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · scale · key · roll · fan · hand · rash · board

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — ground
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. scale — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. land — a country
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. roll — a list
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — to come down
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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