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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: drill · ground · spell · game · firm · wake · squash · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — army training
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — a short time
  10. firm — steady
  11. squash — to crush
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — magic
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ground — a position
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. firm — decided
  22. spell — letters
  23. game — wild animals
  24. drill — the tool

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