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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: field · ruler · firm · cabinet · fan · scale · club · current

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. firm — a company
  3. field — for sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — a subject
  10. scale — in music
  11. firm — decided
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — of water
  14. firm — steady
  15. field — farmland
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — a group
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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