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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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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: swing · straw · deal · squash · pound · pitcher · safe · bore

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. squash — to crush
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — to drill
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. swing — music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. straw — a straw man

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