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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: row · fall · shower · snap · coach · chip · ground · pitcher

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. row — a line
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chip — to eat

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