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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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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 · sharp · last · calf · cell · squash · lash · pit

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. squash — the sport
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pit — a hole
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pit — in a race
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — final
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lash — to lash out

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