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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · hide · club · track · degree · lash · row · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. track — a path
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — a group
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — temperature
  22. club — for golf
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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