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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. hand — in cards
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — finally
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hand — help
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. toast — bread
  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