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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. craft — boats
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — from a university
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pass — a permit
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. craft — a skill

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