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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: mouse · dip · rule · shower · mine · chip · fall · face

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — a law
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — government
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. face — to confront
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mouse — for a computer

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