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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: straw · safe · charge · race · land · bass · rock · bore

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — ground
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — to come down
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — a country
  19. charge — in control
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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