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

Word bank: stand · wake · straw · ground · safe · sharp · pit · rest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pit — in a race
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — crushed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wake — a trail
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. sharp — exactly

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