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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 · wax · content · court · track · rest · vault · cap

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rest — a break
  3. content — the amount
  4. cap — a hat
  5. track — a path
  6. content — happy
  7. track — a song
  8. court — of a king
  9. cap — of ice
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — of law
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. court — for sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wax — to grow
  21. scale — size or range
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rest — what's left

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