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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: pound · nail · squash · rush · game · row · safe · capital

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. capital — money
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. squash — to crush
  6. game — a match
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rush — hurry
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pound — a weight
  17. row — to paddle
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. nail — on a finger

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