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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: race · straw · rest · plane · roll · chip · shower · file

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — rain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. chip — for betting
  8. roll — a cake
  9. file — a line of people
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rest — a break
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chip — to eat
  17. plane — a tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. race — a contest
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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