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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 116 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 · stock · charge · racket · cue · file · can · bat

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. file — a document
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — a tin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. file — a tool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. charge — in control
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. can — to be able to
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. stock — shares
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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