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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: arm · pit · safe · kid · season · toast · craft · plane

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — a skill
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — to tease
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pit — a hole
  11. toast — bread
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — child
  14. season — of the year
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. plane — a tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. craft — boats
  24. season — in sport

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