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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 120 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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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: wind · squash · bowl · kid · safe · bay · game · cabinet

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. game — a match
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — a horse colour

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