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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: safe · mine · lash · last · date · squash · content · sharp

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. date — the fruit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — the amount
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — finally
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. content — happy
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mine — for digging

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