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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 120 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: rush · mark · season · safe · row · rule · last · straw

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — to go on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — a line
  9. rule — government
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. last — finally
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — hurry
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. mark — a grade

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