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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: club · craft · lash · snap · last · season · roll · cell

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. last — final
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — a group
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — to go on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. club — for dancing
  19. craft — boats
  20. last — finally
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. roll — a list

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