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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: racket · scale · stock · mine · track · content · board · mug

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a song
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — for digging
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — the amount
  10. stock — goods
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a committee
  19. content — happy
  20. board — to get on
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. scale — in music

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