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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: toast · squash · ground · lash · swing · game · fall · pass

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pass — a permit
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. swing — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — bread
  18. ground — a position
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. game — a match
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lash — to lash out

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