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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 124 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: chest · wound · charge · current · cap · stock · cue · scale

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. cue — a signal
  4. charge — a price
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chest — a box
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — goods

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