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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — for a lock
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mate — a friend
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tube — a container
  11. mate — to breed
  12. last — finally
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — final
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — in music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — a partner
  22. tube — the underground
  23. last — to go on
  24. safe — out of danger

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