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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 · cabinet · mug · shower · stand · last · chip · march

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. last — final
  3. fall — to drop
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — rain
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — a face
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — the season
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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