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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: wind · roll · snap · squash · pitch · safe · spell · face

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitch — completely
  5. snap — to click
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — a short time
  8. face — to point toward
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to confront
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — part of the head

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