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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. drill — a practice
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. game — wild animals
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — on the skin

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