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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 116 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: pitcher · rash · field · key · chair · scale · capital · land

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — a country
  4. field — farmland
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. capital — money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chair — a leader
  14. field — for sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — a subject
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — ground
  24. capital — a city

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