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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: perch · season · land · staff · sharp · toast · craft · safe

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a skill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — a country
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — the fish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. season — in sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — bread

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