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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. last — final
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — in sport
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. craft — boats
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — finally
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. saw — the tool

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