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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: jam · bear · chip · fall · shower · rest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — to eat
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fall — the season
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — to drop
  18. jam — in traffic

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