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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: bound · safe · content · hand · row · saw · squash · net

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — for catching
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — happy
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. net — after costs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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