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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: ruler · club · scale · face · fan · key · chest · court

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for dancing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — in music
  10. key — in music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. club — a group
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. court — of a king
  24. face — part of the head

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