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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: bowl · scale · mine · wax · last · content · pit · chip

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chip — to eat
  3. last — finally
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. last — final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — to go on
  10. mine — for digging
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — the amount
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. content — happy
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — a hole

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