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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · key · face · chair · fan · scale · rush · cabinet

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. key — for a lock
  6. scale — size or range
  7. key — the most important part
  8. scale — in music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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