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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: club · rash · last · pitch · straw · calf · chest · safe

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. last — finally
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pitch — completely

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