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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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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: safe · snap · spell · fork · squash · chair · pitch · toast

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — letters
  3. toast — bread
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spell — magic
  7. squash — to crush
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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