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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: scale · cabinet · bore · current · bat · ruler · stock · stick

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — of water
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. scale — in music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — for baseball

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