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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. craft — boats
  7. last — final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. drill — army training
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. last — finally
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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