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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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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: content · date · jam · wax · bay · chest · chip · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — happy
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — the amount
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — help
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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