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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: chip · shower · calf · cell · swing · drill · fall · mug

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — a cup
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mug — a face
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — the tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. swing — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cell — a phone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. calf — a young animal

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