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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: roll · content · face · chip · scale · pound · file · present

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. face — part of the head
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a document
  7. content — the amount
  8. scale — in music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. present — there
  15. face — to point toward
  16. present — a gift
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a tool
  22. present — the time now
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. roll — a list

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