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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: sharp · last · safe · cell · present · track · key · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a song
  8. last — to go on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — final
  13. cell — a phone
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — clever
  18. present — there
  19. last — finally
  20. season — in sport
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. track — a path
  23. present — a gift
  24. key — in music

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