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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 120 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: squash · fall · lash · file · club · pitcher · lie · dip

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — to recline
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fall — the season
  16. file — a tool
  17. club — a group
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. dip — a sauce

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