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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: toast · trunk · safe · board · kid · squash · hand · pitch

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. toast — bread
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hand — help
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — child
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. board — a committee
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. board — to get on

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