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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 · game · staff · hand · scale · row · plane · spell

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. scale — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. row — a line
  6. spell — a short time
  7. plane — a tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — magic
  19. row — to paddle
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. game — wild animals

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