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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: chip · bore · mine · squash · safe · band · cue · capital

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cue — for pool
  4. band — a music group
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — gave birth

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