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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · racket · capital · stock · drill · date · scale · tube

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tube — the underground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — the most important part
  12. scale — in music
  13. drill — army training
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — money
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — in music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — size or range
  24. drill — the tool

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