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

Word bank: wax · date · court · pit · cap · band · pass · chip

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — in a race
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a ring
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pass — a permit
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — for sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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