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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 116 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: straw · hide · race · safe · last · bear · rush · mine

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. last — final
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — to go on
  24. mine — an explosive

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