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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 116 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: pound · rule · rush · chip · shower · fork · fan · track

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — government
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fork — a garden tool

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