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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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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: cold · bowl · pass · lash · stand · club · chest · toast

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cold — not warm
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. club — a group
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chest — a box
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — of your body
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bowl — a football final

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