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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 120 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: mug · cold · lie · chip · coach · pass · shower · file

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a document
  3. mug — a face
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cold — not warm
  9. file — a tool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — rain
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

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