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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: pop · fall · mate · content · shower · ground · race · plane

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. content — the amount
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. plane — a tool
  7. race — a contest
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pop — music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fall — the season
  14. pop — to visit
  15. content — happy
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — soda
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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