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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: key · kick · land · scale · shower · pitcher · calf · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — size or range
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. shower — rain
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — in football
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. key — in music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — ground
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — for a lock
  23. land — to come down
  24. kick — 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