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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: fall · last · shower · foot · pass · chair · rash · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pass — a permit
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — final
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — to go on
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. foot — a measure
  22. race — humankind
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — rain

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