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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: last · can · club · rest · rule · row · cold · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — to go on
  3. row — a line
  4. club — a group
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. rule — a law
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rest — a break
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — final
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — finally
  21. cold — an illness
  22. can — a tin
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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