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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 120 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: racket · content · saw · can · arm · scale · object · stock

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — happy
  6. object — an aim
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stock — goods
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. object — to protest
  15. content — the amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — in music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. scale — for weighing

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