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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: pass · file · chair · fall · date · rash · squash · wave

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a tool
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. file — a document
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — to spend time

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