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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: file · mug · cell · swing · scale · field · rule · key

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — in music
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a tool
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — a cup
  12. file — a line of people
  13. swing — in golf
  14. field — a subject
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a document
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. cell — a phone
  23. swing — to play on
  24. field — farmland

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