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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: fall · firm · chip · shower · snap · date · temple · mate

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. date — the fruit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. chip — to eat
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mate — a friend
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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