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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 · game · last · plane · face · shower · charge · rash

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. charge — in control
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — to go on
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. shower — rain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — part of the head
  14. shower — to wash
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — finally
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rash — on the skin

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