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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: fall · can · shower · squash · rule · swing · file · last

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — finally
  3. squash — to crush
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — to play on
  7. shower — rain
  8. file — a line of people
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. last — final
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — the season
  18. swing — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rule — a law
  21. swing — in golf
  22. file — a tool
  23. rule — government
  24. file — a document

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