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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: snap · chip · toast · scale · clip · pound · wax · fine

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chip — for betting
  3. scale — in music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — size or range
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fine — high quality
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to click
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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