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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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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 · rest · charge · straw · stick · safe · march · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. charge — in control
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — a break
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  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