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

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — of water
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. club — for golf
  6. charge — a price
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. charge — electricity
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — electric
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. charge — in control
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. club — a group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rest — a break
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — what's left

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