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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rest · scale · hand · key · swing · chair · land · saw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. rest — a break
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. key — in music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — in cards
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chair — a leader
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. land — ground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. key — the most important part

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