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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 · race · pop · toast · chip · date · pitch · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fall — to drop
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. row — a line
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — bread
  20. chip — for betting
  21. date — the fruit
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pop — soda
  24. race — humankind

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