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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hand — help
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stem — to come from
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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