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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — tied together
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stock — shares
  9. kick — in football
  10. last — finally
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — final
  15. stock — goods
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — certain
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. coach — a trainer

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