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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · season · band · degree · bay · kid · safe · sharp

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — to go on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — an amount
  8. band — a music group
  9. last — finally
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. band — a ring
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. season — of the year
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. last — final
  20. kid — child
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — clever

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