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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: lie · lash · swing · cap · pass · fan · squash · cold

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. swing — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — not warm
  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