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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fall — the season
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. fall — to drop
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — hurry
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fall — to drop

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