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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: stick · saw · game · land · straw · net · rush · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — after costs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — wild animals
  7. net — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — to come down
  11. rush — hurry
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a match
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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