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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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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: club · squash · wind · safe · scale · firm · chest · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. squash — to crush
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. firm — a company
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. firm — steady
  16. pop — music
  17. firm — decided
  18. club — a group
  19. scale — in music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pop — to visit

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