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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: squash · chair · net · last · pass · cap · fall · wave

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. last — finally
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fall — the season
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. last — to go on
  19. net — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — final
  24. squash — to crush

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