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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: chip · toast · last · wax · bat · mark · bowl · jam

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. last — finally
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wax — to grow
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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