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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: season · hide · safe · snap · wave · bat · lie · vault

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bat — in an idiom

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