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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: rest · chip · chair · race · deal · file · shower · bass

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bass — low music
  3. race — a contest
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — humankind
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — a break
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. file — a tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a professorship

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