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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 · safe · wake · row · straw · roll · cold · suit

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a line
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. suit — to fit
  7. club — for golf
  8. roll — a cake
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cold — not warm
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. suit — clothes
  17. club — a group
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. suit — in cards
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. club — for dancing
  22. roll — a list
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. roll — on a roll

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