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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — humankind
  4. lean — thin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fall — the season
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — final
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. toast — bread
  18. race — a contest
  19. last — to go on
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — the bottom

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