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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: race · rest · fall · chip · date · lean · dip · shower

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. race — the arms race
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — a break
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. race — humankind
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lean — thin
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — the season
  17. chip — for betting
  18. shower — to wash
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — a contest

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