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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: lean · file · shower · pass · chip · toast · bowl · pop

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lean — to bend
  4. toast — bread
  5. shower — rain
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a document
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chip — for betting
  11. lean — thin
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. file — a line of people
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — music
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a tool
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. shower — to wash

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