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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: snap · hand · spell · cold · board · squash · pitcher · safe

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hand — help
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cold — not warm
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — an illness
  17. spell — a short time
  18. board — a committee
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. squash — the sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — to crush

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