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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 116 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: club · cell · season · safe · firm · snap · lie · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — a group
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. firm — steady
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. club — for dancing
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mate — to breed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. firm — a company
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. season — of the year

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