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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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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 · cue · rule · rock · stock · wake · scale · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — for pool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rock — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cue — a hint
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stock — goods
  14. rule — a law
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chest — a box
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — shares
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. ground — a position
  24. rule — government

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