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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 · scale · kid · fork · row · fine · club · stand

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fork — in a road
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. row — a line
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stand — to bear
  15. scale — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. scale — size or range
  18. club — for dancing
  19. row — to paddle
  20. club — a group
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. club — for golf
  24. fine — high quality

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