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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: dip · roll · safe · current · chip · coach · squash · cap

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — a hat
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. current — of water
  15. roll — a list
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — to crush
  21. current — electric
  22. cap — a lid
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. coach — a trainer

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