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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: hand · rule · cabinet · object · scale · roll · club · field

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rule — a law
  4. club — a group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hand — help
  12. object — an aim
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rule — government
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. object — to protest
  21. field — farmland
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. club — for golf

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