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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: squash · safe · swing · mouse · chair · kid · tear · dip

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chair — a leader
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kid — child
  11. swing — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. tear — to rip
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — to tease

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