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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: roll · squash · safe · current · pop · chest · court · firm

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pop — music
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — soda
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pop — to visit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. court — for sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. current — of water
  12. roll — a list
  13. chest — of your body
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chest — a box
  18. current — happening now
  19. court — of law
  20. firm — decided
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. firm — a company
  23. court — of a king
  24. current — electric

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