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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.

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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: game · stock · wound · scale · suit · ruler · charge · bat

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — wild animals
  7. suit — in cards
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — in control
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. suit — to fit

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