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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: fall · date · cold · ruler · chip · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fall — the season
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. date — the fruit

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