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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: mate · rash · rush · safe · straw · march · rock · last

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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. mate — a partner
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a friend
  7. last — final
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — the month
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rock — a stone

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