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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: content · scale · racket · cue · stock · rest · band · chip

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. band — a music group
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rest — what's left
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a ring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — the amount
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rest — a break
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cue — a hint
  24. scale — in music

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