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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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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: squash · chip · band · wind · safe · foot · pitch · cold

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chip — for betting
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chip — in a computer

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