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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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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: pass · club · row · safe · ruler · content · fall · straw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. club — a group
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. row — a line
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pass — a permit
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — happy
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fall — the season
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — for golf
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — to paddle

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