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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: scale · tube · pit · season · toast · race · fork · stock

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — shares
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — a hole
  11. scale — in music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. toast — bread
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — in a race

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