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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 · tube · rule · cue · stock · club · bore · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. scale — size or range
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — in music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rule — a law
  18. cue — a signal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — shares

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