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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: fork · saw · charge · pass · cold · straw · bass · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bass — low music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. charge — electricity
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bass — the fish
  18. charge — a price
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. charge — in control
  24. pass — a permit

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