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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bass · shower · squash · toast · pitcher · nail · swing

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — rain
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fall — the season
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — music

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