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

Word bank: firm · last · season · arm · snap · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — final
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to click
  12. firm — steady
  13. cell — in biology
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. firm — decided
  16. season — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. firm — a company

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