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

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a document
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. last — finally
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — a permit
  19. last — final
  20. toast — bread
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chest — a box
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chip — in a computer

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